


Left Out

by alittlefoxedup



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: All Caste (DCU), First published fic, Gen, Jason is constantly underestimated, Jason is not invited to anything, Ra's is upset about losing, batfam mentioned, he kinda cares, the fighting isn't explicit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 07:18:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16300562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlefoxedup/pseuds/alittlefoxedup
Summary: Jason is not invited to help with Gotham mayhem. While contemplating life, Deathstroke shows up to collect a bounty.





	Left Out

The Red Hood was only ever called in when absolutely necessary. It only happened a few times a year with around Halloween being almost a given. The rest of the time he was left to his own corner of the city. Of course, he was monitored constantly, but Jason could ignore it. Batman hardly ever came in person.

Jason was never invited to anything anymore. Alfred had tried to get him to come, but the Manor wasn’t as welcoming as it had once been. They settled for weekly meals. No one else made an attempt to meet with Jason. It was past the point where Bruce could be blamed. They didn’t want to see him. They didn’t care. Family, they had claimed. Family was just another empty promise.

The gargoyles stayed silent. Good for listening. Talking needed work. Jason didn’t mind. The things he told them weren’t meant for any human ears. Roy had stressed the importance of talking about stuff. Jason couldn’t bring himself to speak about all of it to people. He had tried repeatedly, but he couldn’t tell someone all his problems. They had their own problems and were not responsible for his. He wouldn’t force them, so the gargoyles heard everything.

The Bat Signal was shining brightly in the grim city. Sirens and flashing red and blue lights added to the symphony of chaos Batman would put a stop to. Jason had caught glimpses of all his caped family members out battling whatever was threatening the city. News reports were fuzzy on details, but the entire city except Jason’s little corner was dealing with something.

Jason was pretty sure it was Crane. It was mid-October, and he liked to give the city a taste before his true hit. It might be Nygma, but he was too OCD to leave out any part of the city. It didn’t really matter. Jason hadn’t been called in, so he just needed to worry about himself. With no crime to fight, all he could do was list all his woes to the gargoyles.

A part of him felt like no one would notice if he left Gotham, but the rest of him knew the people he watched over would notice and probably care. Bruce could hate his methods all he wanted, but Crime Alley was as under control as possible. If Jason had free reign, it would be even better. He knew the city better than anyone. All he needed to do was take out leaders until everyone was too afraid to step up. The underlings could be handled by the cops or Bruce could give them jobs instead of beating them up. A different argument that had the same results as the rest. Bruce was always right. Jason was always wrong.

Maybe he wasn’t right, but he was trying and willing to adjust when things didn’t go well. Prior to the entire world’s belief, Jason didn’t answer every problem with violence. No one ever talked about the people on ledges he talked down or how many shelters he’d built for street kids or how he answered every time Roy called the emergency number. If his family knew half of what he’d done, they’d stop calling him a stupid raging idiot. Yes, he could fight, but that wasn’t all he did.

They didn’t even understand the fight part. It was all boiled down to senseless rage. Jason knew he had more training than all of them except maybe Cass, but at the same time, quality might push it to where no one could contest Jason’s training. All he had to do was push back his emotions, and he could beat anyone. His family brought out too much emotion for him to prove himself.

No one in his family asked what he did with the Outlaws. Bruce wanted to know everything except that. Maybe it was for the best, but Jason wanted to be able to swap stories with all of them. Dick had plenty of Titans stories he would swap for Tim’s and Damian’s. Bruce shared occasionally. Steph shared whether they wanted to hear or not. Cass told them about some of what she had seen before meeting them. Duke had a couple stories that everyone loved. Barbara would talk about the Birds of Prey. When Alfred shared a story, everyone shut up and listened with the upmost respect.

Jason had tried to share once, but Dick talked over him. Dick probably didn’t realize he did it, but Jason couldn’t accept that. His friends would push for stories. Hell, he’d told one to Oliver Queen just to piss off Roy. Oliver had asked for more, so he and Roy kept trying to out embarrass the other. The only reason the Justice League knew about the Untitled was that conversation. Bruce hadn’t drilled him or any Outlaw for more information. It didn’t make sense.

“I can beat Lady Shiva.”

“Sure, you can, Todd.”

They were all convinced he was a rage-driven liar. Jason didn’t lie with the only exception being to prevent his identity from being found out, but they all did that. Sure, he withheld a lot, but they all did. His family just didn’t see it. The case had been closed on Jason. They weren’t going to change, and there was nothing he could do.

Jason suddenly felt like he was being watched. His position wasn’t good for fighting from. A quick couple of jumps had him on top of one of the buildings that would be forever abandoned. A lot of deals went down in it, so Jason had it wired well. Aside from his safe houses, that building was his best defensive spot.

He slipped through a window and perched on the rafters. Every Bat knew how to hide in the shadows high up where no one could find them. Jason would sit and wait until the feeling passed. Paranoia did create unease that had no business existing, but it was helpful most of the time. If Jason felt like he was being watched, then nineteen times out of twenty he was.

“There’s a big bounty on that helmet of yours.”

Jason hated whenever someone managed to patch in to his comms. Barbara had a pass, but Deathstroke definitely didn’t.

“I lose track of who all wants me dead. Killing me doesn’t tend to work.”

Deathstroke walked in the front door of the abandoned warehouse. “So I’ve heard. You should be honored. I don’t spend so much time researching everyone I kill.”

“Yeah, you don’t seem like the detective type.”

“Neither do you, but you’ve solved plenty of mysteries no one had even attempted.”

Jason sighed. He solved the cold cases the police didn’t care about. A prostitute’s murder wasn’t important to them. Missing street kids went unreported. Crime Alley had plenty of mysteries he was the only detective type interested in. Bruce had only really cared about who killed his parents.

“Joker had plenty of information to give. He was all too happy to stage a distraction as well. Does it hurt to know even the man who killed you doesn’t care?”

“You’re pretty stupid if you think he’s anything but a monster.” Jason pushed back the green-tinted rage. It made sense to leave Jason out of it if the Joker was the cause. He had to focus on the threat in front of him instead.

“You sound like a child. Clearly, you are the worst Batman’s ever trained.”

Obvious bait was obvious. Jason was better than that. Deathstroke could taunt him all night and get nowhere. He might know all the right triggers, but the triggers only worked coming from certain people. His family could convince him how awful he was, but someone who had nothing but secondhand knowledge on him couldn’t.

“So who hates me enough to deal with you?”

“The Demon’s Head feels like you’ve wronged him. I didn’t press for why. He’s a madman, but he can pay for his madness.”

Jason laughed. He had thought Ra’s would get back at him for the defeat at the Well of Sins. Took him long enough. Jason had proven himself time and time against the League of Assassin’s best, so Ra’s had to outsource. On an unrelated note, Jason was half convinced his presence kept the League from going after Damian, but he couldn’t prove it.

“You really should have asked. Big oversight there. You might think you know me, but you really don’t. Before I kick your ass, I’ll give you a chance to prove me wrong. What has your research found?”

“You’re an overly cocky fallen Robin. You don’t fit in anywhere. You fight Batman’s fight with lethal force. The black sheep of the family. Batman would rather work with reformed villains than you and has accepted children who’ve killed but not you.”

“I take it you didn’t talk to anyone outside of Gotham then. That’s all the Rogues know plus the little bit of knowledge you already knew, but that’s not me.”

“Then prove it.”

“For starters, Ra’s wants me because I beat him at his most powerful point. I can beat anyone in Gotham and the League of Assassins. Yeah, I’m the fallen Robin, but that makes me the only one who’s gotten back up all on his own. I’ve been in a Lazarus Pit and overcome its madness. I’ve worked as a crime lord, vigilante, mercenary, and Outlaw, but what I’m most proud of is that I’ve been trained by everyone Batman has and then some. You really think you can beat a member of the All Caste?”

“You stopped Ra’s at the Well of Sins, but that doesn’t mean I should be intimidated by you.”

“Lady Shiva didn’t take me seriously either. When I drop you off at Blackgate, you’ll think twice before you do something as dumb as challenge me.”

Jason dove out the nearest window and hit the self-destruct button. He was two blocks away, but Deathstroke got caught in the explosion. In sheer power, Jason would lose, but he knew how to even the odds until he got his hands on a pair of swords.

A total of five traps were sprung on Deathstroke. They did little more than piss him off, but the explosion had done some damage that was still healing. The run only netted Jason a pair of swords and a good ambush position. Deathstroke took the kick to the head almost in stride. That small moment of confusion gave Jason all the advantage he needed. He grew up getting in alley fights. He had beaten plenty of sword masters. Deathstroke would just be another addition to the list.

The armor might have been indestructible, but it had chinks. Jason stabbed into every chink with ease. Deathstroke hopelessly pursued. No one had mentioned how fast Jason could move since Jason hadn’t gotten a chance to let loose in such a long time. Fighting with two swords had become as natural as breathing to Jason, but Deathstroke had been expecting guns and fists.

Pinned to the ground by a sword through each shoulder and a good few inches into the concrete, Deathstroke surrendered. “You could do so much better than Gotham.”

“So? I could do a lot of different things, but this city would suffer for it. I don’t need to do someone’s job better than them. I just want them to know I could if I wanted to.”

“Ra’s will send more.”

“Let him. For now, there’s a nice cell for you, and those swords will look good in my trophy room.”

A quick anonymous call to the police had Deathstroke too far away to hurt anyone. Maybe Bruce would question it. Probably wouldn’t. Jason would hang the swords, take a nice shower, and crash. They could leave him out of everything, but they couldn’t stop him from being himself. Jason could push away any doubts with that win. If he didn’t define himself by Bruce’s standards, he was good and a force to be reckoned with.


End file.
